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Europcar Drives Your Credit Card Up Without Permission
By -

FRANCE -- We hired a Kangoo "passenger van" through Carhire3000. On arriving at Europcar Carcassonne airport we were allocated a Peugeot 3008 car instead. However, not told, just allowed to walk around the car park with keys for 15 minutes looking for a Kangoo. Complained it wasn't similar to a van for carrying our luggage. Staff not interested or sorry. Returned the car on time but could not find any staff to check the fuel or condition of the car.

After 20 minutes found a young man who wanted to retain the keys the office staff had previously asked for. Told the office staff keys had been retained! Went back 2 hours later as a child's seat belt had been left in the car. Told car now out again and belt must have been thrown out.

Next credit card statement showed an extra days hire debited. Fuel charged for along with a service charge for topping up the car. Complained by many unanswered emails to France for over 5 weeks - no reply of any kind. Contacted Europcar UK who eventually agreed with France the extra days hire was a mistake and refunded the charge and the 2 fuel charges. Then on the next credit card statement 25 euros deducted!!

After a month of asking what it was for Europcar said it was related to a motoring offence reported by the "Local Authority." Europcar UK indicated it was to deal with the report but could not tell me what offence had been committed. To-date 3 months after the alleged motoring offence we have not yet been contacted by any "local Authority" to pay the fixed penalty or fine! We have asked what the offence was and who the "local authority" is who asked Europcar for details. Well surprise surprise we are having a problem finding out about the offence and the Authority.

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Poor Customer Service / Overcharged Invoice
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LONDON -- I rent a car from Europcar over a bank holiday early this month (2-4 May 2009). After one week of returning the car I realized overcharge on my credit card bill (over 100% more). They charged one more day because the officer was too busy to retrieve my key on the first thing in the morning after bank holiday. I mean the car is parked in the garage but they log my key in at 5pm the next day (the key was deposit inside the mailbox early evening previous day)

I called the customer service up and log the report. And they gave me an investigation number. After one week didn't hear from them again I called up again. The officer seem pretty blur about what's going on so I explained the whole situation again. They said it would take 1-3 days to investigate and they will get back to me. After 3 day didn't hear from them, I called again. And same situation, I have to explain everything. I told the customer service about my frustration of not getting any result, the officer said he will call back within the day, but no promise. As expected there are no call.

And today the 3rd day I call up again, (realizing there is not user-friendly link to write a customer inquiry email on their website. Probably they get a lot of complaints due to poor service/ overcharge customers), they said they need four more days to investigate starting from my last call. I told them that I call 2 weeks ago, the officer insist there is no record of previous log report.

Up to this point I was really disappointed by the customer services (and make an effort to register and write my frustration down), not mentioning the other terrible stories I read on the forums and other about Europcar. This is probably the first and last time I am going to rent a car from this freaky company. Not to mention there is no GPS rental when I pick up the car (which is such a basic requirement nowadays)

Get your car rental elsewhere from bigger names, maybe you won't have to queue an hour even if you book your car online. And maybe you don't have to bear the poor customer service manner on the other line. The slightest bright side of the story is that my frustration is recorded on the customer service line "for future training purposes", which is absolutely required.

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Europ car excels at shirking responsibility
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I secured a car in Ireland through Europcar at Dublin Airport for my 3 weeks stay in Ireland with family in early July 2007. Europcar provided me with a Nissan Tiida. The car, with regard to size and handling, was as I expected. I encountered difficulty with the lights once I needed them three days into my trip. At this point I was in the rough rugged terrain of County Donegal which is largely rural, with winding narrow and hilly streets and minimally lit. I spent the majority of my stay there.

The lights on my Tiida malfunctioned and did not project onto the street properly causing travel to be quite hazardous for myself and family during the night hours and obviously compromising our safety. My family (uncles, aunts, cousins) live in County Donegal, Ireland and with their help we learned the car had been previously damaged and "repaired" with the lights set back, hence the poor projection.

I did not try to contact Europcar to exchange cars, since the closest location near my stay was over a 5-hour drive round trip and not on my vacation agenda. When I contacted Europcar about this matter upon my return to the US, they of course found the car in complete working order. The Dublin Airport, where I returned the car, of course, in no way mirrors County Donegal streets! I brought that to their attention and they didn't want to listen. Their response was that "I should have exchanged the car if the lights were not working properly".

My question then was why should I have to be inconvenienced on my trip due to their gross negligence with not providing me with the product they had stated/promised. Europcar had no response. I agree, I could have driven into Derry (2 1/2 hrs each way), but again, that was my time and shouldn't my time be of some value as in monetary compensation? I posed that question to Europcar and of course no response. Beware of Europcar in Ireland...they have high expectations for the consumer, but not of themselves! They shirked responsibility every chance they had with me. They did very well at taking my money though.

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Europcar Provided Me a Dangerous Car and Cost Me £1000
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

IBIZA -- DO NOT TRUST EUROPCAR. DO NOT GIVE THEM YOUR CREDIT CARD DETAILS - THEY COST ME £1000, PUT ME IN DANGER AND HAVE CAUSED ME NOTHING BUT STRESS SINCE. Europcar in Spain provided me with a dodgy car with a worn out clutch on the verge of failing, the clutch burnt out after just 90 minutes of hiring it as they failed to checked or service the car properly.

The car was dangerous which I would soon find out, the clutch failed whilst on a hill and would not go into first or second gear. It started rolling backwards down the hill with passengers in it so I had to push harder than normal on the clutch to stop us rolling off the hill and it burnt out. We had to jump out then and there, there was nothing more we could do.

Instead of rectifying the situation they shouted at me before even inspecting the car and gave me a bill of £1000. They ruined my holiday, the following 2 months were absolute hell trying to get this unfair situation resolved to no success. It was really upsetting and I've tried everything to stop them just taking my money but as it was booked in Spain there is nothing I can do, it is under Spanish law and would be very expensive to fight.

I have tried the ECRCS and other companies out there to resolve disputes but after battling for months it is pointless, the whole situation is hugely unfair. I had even paid extra for full insurance which turns out does not cover clutches or brakes. On top of it all they even charged me for a day's rental and 150 euros admin charge!!! Would you believe… just crazy. The big man wins. Please for your own sake, do not trust Europcar Spain. Do not give them your credit card details under any circumstances, it's not worth the risk. Europcar case number - **. (Ref Nr **)

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Bait and Switch Tactic : Avoid With All Costs. Overcharges With No Explanation
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

JOHANNESBURG, SA, OREGON -- I booked a rental online for South Africa and paid ahead of time $370. On the reservation it says that the price includes Taxes, & Unlimited Miles and excludes CDW (collision damage waiver), PAI (Passenger Accident Insurance) and theft insurance. Again stated black on white at the time of reservation.

When I got to South Africa (Johannesburg airport) and pick up the car I mention at least 3 times to the Europcar representative that I don't need any CDW, PAI or theft since my credit card used for reservation covers that. I stated also that I don't want to see any other charges that those made at the time of reservation and he confirmed that, as long as the car is returned with a full tank of gas and in good condition.

That indeed happened; they inspected the car and said that everything is fine. Now try to imagine my surprise after returning home (US) when I see an additional charge of about $320. I tried contacting them but with no success. For instance the e-mailbox for South Africa does not accept e-mails.

Needless to say that I never received an invoice for the additional $320; it just showed up on my bank account. My guess is that they charge for anything they could. These people are thieves and here I'm referring in particular for the South African branch inside Johannesburg airport + Europcar website.

I don't like to generalize but judging by the volume of complaints, the issue seems a lot more widespread. I will never rent a car from them and advise other people looking for a car rental to avoid them like plague. Never come across a company that will tell you one thing online and charge you almost double in the end, since they have your credit card and they can. Caveat emptor!

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Bogus Charges!
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I WILL NEVER EVER RECOMMEND CAR RENTAL FROM EUROPCAR EVER AGAIN! I regretted not renting from Avis instead! I had rented from Europcar from the airport 31 Dec 2011- 4 Jan and dropped off at Europcar Dandenong. Paid the toll through the phone and now, I received a letter saying I did not pay the citylink toll charge. Got proof for that in my credit card bill!! Have yet to call to clarify the charge as I just received the letter today.

Second time, I rented and extended the rental from Europcar Dandenong for 11-18 Jan. Upon return on 18 Jan at the airport, the guy who checked the car for mileage and petrol tank, said all was OK! I got a shock when I was charged by Europcar Dandenong for AUD$39.51 on 19 Jan… Called Europcar Dandenong to clarify. **, who spoke to me on the phone, claimed that I was charged for 1/8 unfilled petrol!

I practically lost my temper when I told her I had MADE SURE petrol was filled up upon return as I was well aware of the exorbitant charges I would incur. I had even gone an extra mile to wash and vacuum the car! I did mention that from the nearest petrol station to the drop off area, she must be crazy to expect a full to the brim petrol tank!!

Anyway when demanded for her to send me a letter or invoice as a document/notification of charge, til now nothing has been sent! Emailed her to send to me again and still silence! Just because it is in the terms and conditions that they can charge us for all these it does not mean that they can do that without notifying us. They should provide proof of these claims instead! My sweet memories of Melbourne has been tarnished by this experience. I have spent nearly $2000 and yet they have the cheek to charge additional bogus charges!!

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Worst Car Rental Company Ever
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This car rental experience was probably one of the worst experience of my life. I reserved the car via Europcar website for 8:00 A.M. on the 1st of February 2011. First of all, your website stated that your rental station was located in a hotel which is called Paradisus in Puerto Morelos. I couldn't find this hotel on Google map, so I asked several taxi drivers to find out that the Paradisus was now called the Sapphire and in fact, it was located outside Puerto Morelos. I found out that there was a closer office.

So I went to that office, it was now 9 a.m. at the office, I asked if I could if the get the car there since it was closer to where I was staying. The clerk was really nice and told me that there was no problem that I just had to come back an hour later and the car would be there. So I came back an hour later (around 10 a.m.) and then, the clerk told me that there was a problem with Europcar system at the Paradisus (Sapphire) and that I had to wait for another hour to get the car. So I waited, and waited, and waited, to finally get the car around 13h30. A car that was not the one I originally asked for and was supposed to be an upgrade (yeah, right!).

Then came the time to sign the contract, again there was a problem. The price was not the one I booked for. It was almost the double! The clerk tried to fix the problem with the reservation center but both were helpless. I was so mad and didn't want to lose more time than I already had that I took the car and left. As I was getting on the highway, I noticed that the left tie-rod end was so worn out that I could hear it flapping when hitting bumps or holes. In fact it was so worn out that the car was pulling radically to the right when I had to brake hard.

I had so much trouble getting the car that I didn't want to get in the trouble of changing for another car. I have worked for few years in the car rental business in Canada, so believe me, I know how it works and I know that this kind of situation is unacceptable. In the end, I lost half a day of my 7 days vacation in Mexico and end up with a barely undriveable car. So if you ask me, from what I have seen Europcar is the worst rental company ever.

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Excess Refueling Charge and Bad Customer Service
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CAPE TOWN -- I rented an economy-class car in Cape Town South Africa. When I booked in the agency, I asked if I had to refuel the tank when bringing it back and was told they would take care of it. Having rented cars before with various companies, I inquired whether this service was included in the amount I was paying or considered as free, and was told that no I wouldn't be charged for that.

I brought the car back, with not even a quarter of the tank empty for the 400km we had done with it. When I received the invoice, a charge of over 200Rand has been taken for refueling. I called the customer service to complain and received the answer that I should have known they would charge me for the refueling as per my previous experiences in renting cars, making me sound like a fool who misunderstood what I was told when I specifically double-checked that particular point.

The customer service then forwarded me the following, titled FYI: "I can assure you that this did not take place, our employee who checked out the customer has been with us for many years and would never have said anything like this." I have replied once again highlighting the fact that this was not what I had been told, and still haven't heard back from them.

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Europcar - Poor Customer Service
By -

Without a doubt, the worst customer service (or lack thereof) we have ever encountered. Only wish we had read previous reviews prior to using this company. We travelled from Australia to NZ and rented a car from Europcar Auckland in March this year. While touring the North Island our trip went without a hitch until another vehicle collided with our car (while parked in a shopping center carpark).

The other party admitted fault and supplied all relevant details. Relatively minor panel damage was sustained but we contacted Europcar to report the incident and pass on the details as per our obligations. We can only assume that we were put through to a call center, as the operator was apparently unable to locate us on her map, and had to consult a supervisor for assistance.

We were eventually advised to take the car to the "nearest" depot some 194km away in Hamilton, for assessment. As this incident took place at around 4pm on a Saturday afternoon we attempted to explain, at length, the logistics of this exercise, given that we were already booked into our accommodation at our present location on the Coromandel Peninsula.

We finally convinced the operator that it would perhaps make more sense to present the car for inspection in Wellington on completion of our trip. On returning the car to the Wellington ferry terminal as per our contract conditions, we finally managed to convince someone to attend the unmanned booth around 5pm (after two hours, several telephone calls and declining to relocate to Wellington Airport). The car was inspected and we were then charged an additional $1125 to cover the scratch to the door and were advised that we would be contacted in due course once the claim to the third party had been finalised.

Several e-mails, receipted with "out-of-office replies" and nearly six months later, we are still unable to ascertain whether the claim has even been lodged and are still waiting for confirmation and/or reimbursement. We have however, since been informed that these things can sometimes take months to reconcile and that yet another representative would now be handling this claim and will contact us with an update. Needless to say, we are still waiting for this information.

It seems that despite even responding to Europcar's' internet customer feedback facility (again, no response) delaying tactics are the preferred method of dealing with such issues. Or perhaps overseas travellers are deemed a lesser threat in these situations once on the plane home. One can only wonder. Seriously, avoid this company at all costs.

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Thieves at Europcar Madrid Atocha Station!
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CAMPO DE LAS NACIONES, MADRID, SPAIN -- Beware Europcar's Atocha Station office!! Yes, it's very central but avoid Europcar's Atocha Station office at all costs if you want to have any hope of recovering anything you might have left behind. When we returned our rental car a few weeks ago, I had a bad stomach virus and felt like I'd been run over by one of the big Toro Osborne cutouts you see along Spanish highways. Frankly, my main interest was finding the nearest toilet so I forgot that I'd left our 400 dollar camera under the passenger seat. We realized we'd left the camera about a half hour later in a taxi driving along Gran Via.

We told the cabbie to turn around but at that exact moment the police were putting up barricades to block traffic heading back to Atocha because of some kind of demonstration. They routed all traffic down the smallest of side streets which meant we weren't able to get back to the station for another hour. And guess what! By the time we returned, the car was supposedly already washed, vacuumed and rented to another customer... and the camera was gone. In fact not surprisingly, they denied the possibility of there ever having BEEN a camera in the car.

When we filed a claim with the police, the cop told us unprompted "I don't know about the U. S., I've never been there but in Britain, this never would have happened. They'd be too afraid of losing their jobs. At these rental car offices here, there's no accountability." A few days ago, Europcar's legally required response arrived in the mail. It basically reminded us that the contract stipulates that Europcar has no responsibility for items left behind and that a review of the car had been conducted in our presence (not true; the review only included a check of the mileage and whether there were any new scratches, not a check under the seats). Fair enough.

I was an idiot. A sick idiot but an idiot. However, customers also should be able to have a reasonable expectation that even so, they'll be able to recover anything left behind... I know of plenty of cases where people have. So Europcar, you've just permanently lost a customer worth more to you than a 400 dollar camera.

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Europcar Rating:
Star Empty star Empty star Empty star Empty star
1.0 out of 5, based on 27 ratings and
78 reviews & complaints.
Contact Information:
Europcar
Immeuble Les Quadrants
3 avenue du Centre
78881 St QUENTIN en Yvelines FRANCE
33-1-30-44-90-00 (ph)
(33) 1 30 44 94 45 (fax)
www.europcar.com
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